Baily learned to distrust other shifters through their treatment of him. As a Housecat shifter, he’s not exactly the strongest shifter. To compensate, he’s become one of best soldiers for the Coalition. He’s made a place for himself with friends but he doesn’t truly believe they won’t turn on him.

Caden learned to distrust other shifters from birth. His grandfather taught him and his brother to avoid all Packs, Clowders, and Coalitions no matter what. All those lessons will be challenged when a stray cat claims a spot in his bar and maybe his heart.

Together, Baily and Caden, must re-learn the lessons of their lives. That not all shifters are against them. A trip with the leadership of the Coalition to a secret cabin might be the turning point. That maybe they can believe in other shifters, each other, and love.

I won’t lie; the past twelve months have been hard on me, mental health wise. I’m not shy about sharing that I suffering from a variety of things. I have bipolar one, PTSD, anxiety disorder, and bulimia. One may ask why I’m so open with this. It wasn’t so long ago that someone like me would be a dirty family secret, who would locked away somewhere and never talked about again. But, times are changing, and one of the biggest things we can do to keep that movement going is to remove the stigma that is attached to mental health.

What I have is a chemical imbalance in my brain. It’s something I have no control over, and it’s a disease, just like diabetes, COPD or asthma. You don’t look down on somebody who has to take their insulin or when they have a drop in the blood sugar and have to be rushed to the hospital. So, why should we be aghast when someone has to be hospitalized because they have a mental crisis and needs to have their meds adjusted?

My family has always been there to support me. Ken, Joie, and Cody have always shown unwavering faith no matter how bad things have gotten. And believe me, there have been some dark times. But, they weren’t the only ones who were there for me. Believe it or not, my four-legged buds have been instrumental in getting me through some of my darkest moments.

The kittens, and yes I still call them that a year later, always know when I’m sad. They come over and give me kisses and merps. They will curl up next to me and purr. Just that little bit of contact makes me feel loved and not so alone in the world. Which is a lot when the dark, cloying monster of depressing is trying to drag you under.

My dogs, Loki and Reno will crawl into bed with me and press their bodies against me. Loki will even lick me and tug lightly on my hair. Then they will gaze at me with undying devotion, making me feel as if I’m the most important person in their world. That expression alone makes the Depression Monster’s whispers go away. The ones that say, “No one loves you. If you died now, no one would miss you or care.”

So many people are quick to dismiss pets and their importance. How foolish they are. Little do they know that mine have literally saved my life on more than one occasion. I’m in a much better place now and it’s thanks to my family and my four-legged buddies who are my family, too. I rescued them, but they ended up rescuing me in turn.

Years ago, Ice’s heart was broken when his mate, Dragon, abruptly left him. After that, Ice hardened his heart and vowed never to love again. He is shocked when he is on assignment and finds himself saving Dragon from an attack.

Dragon’s soul was devastated when he was forced to leave Ice. While, Dragon thought at the time that he was doing it in order to protect Ice and his twin, Brute, the demon now realizes what a huge mistake he made.

Can he find a way to make Ice forgive him? Or will they forever be alone?

Rexly has been a very naughty reindeer. He drinks like a fish, smokes like a Dogg and sleeps around with just about the entire North Pole, and he loves to play pranks. Not only that, but he can’t shift into his full reindeer from. Only his ears and tail come out, leaving him looking a fool and feeling miserable. He isn’t totally surprised when the message comes from Santa himself that Rexly has been reassigned to the Island of Misfit Toys. So, with a heavy heart, he leaves the only home he’s ever known. Leo the King of the Island of Misfit Toys is a shifter himself. Like Rexly, though, he’s one of a kind. He’s a Lion with wings, which is why he was sent to lead the toys at the island in the first place. He takes one look at his new charge and is immediately intrigued.

But, Rexly isn’t ready to open his heart to anybody in that way. After being burned so many times in the past, he has seven-foot thick emotional shields up and he’s not about to lower them. Yet, if Rexly refuses he could miss out on his one opportunity for a happily ever after. Can Rexly trust enough to love Leo back, or are they both doomed to remain alone forever?

Charlie is a happy Unicorn. He has a place to live, all the sugar he
could ask for, friends, and he’s safe. Or, at least he was until some
vampire put a billion-dollar bounty on his head. Not wanting to put his
friends in danger, Charlie leaves and makes a run for it on his own.

Ever since William had been cursed with immortality, he knew that
he’d never be able to find someone to love. But, one look at Charlie
challenges that thought and sends William’s life spinning.

Will William be able to rescue Charlie? Or was their love doomed from the very beginning?

A Spring-Heeled Jack. Big Foot. Unicorn. Abominable Snowman. Brownie. All things that are not really true. Things that are made up by mad men or those who have spent way too much time in the woods alone. Right…or maybe not.

Meet Bronson, one of the last known Spring-Heeled Jacks in existence. He’s been living in relative peace for the past few decades with a Unicorn and a set of twins, one a Big Foot, the other an Abominable. Sure, their digs may not be the best, an abandoned insane asylum, but one has to see the irony in it. Then, one day, a certain Brownie named Nixon sneaks himself into their lives. Bronson immediately feels himself drawn to the other man.

Nixon has spent his life on the run, but not with Bronson. He feels safe and cared for. What’s more, Nixon feels a special connection to the other man. But, before they have time to react to their connection dark forces attack them. Will the pair live to see another day? If they do, will their desires lead to something more?

]]>Left in the Darkness Just Re-Released!http://authorstephanihecht.com/2018/12/left-in-the-darkness-just-re-released/
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 07:22:50 +0000http://authorstephanihecht.com/?p=5178Whoever said that things need to get worse before they could get better, probably had no idea just how bad “worse” really is.

While mostly physically healed from a gay bashing that almost left him dead, Taylor is still an emotional mess. Not only does he have to deal with the fact that his own brother was one of the attackers, but Taylor has been disowned by his father as well. The only bright spot in Taylor’s life is his small group of friends, but even they have their own issues. Christian is now angry all the time. James has to deal with his own homophobic father. Devlin is wondering if he’ll ever be able to measure up to others’ expectations. Worst of all, Andy seems to be walking down a path that will only lead to his destruction. Can the Haven House Coffee Boys overcome all their obstacles? Or will the darkness overcome them?

Being a gay teen is hard enough, but when Christian’s strict father is transferred to a different city and Christian has to go to a new school, he discovers how much worse things can get. Fortunately, before he sinks into depression, Christian finds a new group of friends, who are also gay. Christian soon learns that his friends have their own problems, from desperately seeking attention to abusive family members.

This is the first book in an exciting series that follows the high and lows of Christian and his friends through their senior year as they seek acceptance and love while dealing with hostility and homophobia. Will all of them survive to see graduation… or will they lose somebody along the way?

GRL 2018 in Portsmouth, Virginia (Oct. 18-21, 2018)

Sorry for being AWOL lately. I had to go back into day treatment for my bi-polar, anxiety, and PTSD disorder and I ended up being there for three weeks. Between that and the med changes I was pretty much a mess. But, no worries. I’m back and better than ever now. Or rather I will be once I get used to the new meds. Right now I’m riding the Lithium train so if anyone sees me at GRL and I mix my words up a bit you have total permission to laugh at me.

Speaking of GRL. I will be there with bells on. I can’t wait to see everybody, too. Joie will be attending for the first time ever! She is super excited. Due to the Asperger’s, she can be super shy at times, so don’t be taken aback if she doesn’t talk to you at first. That’s just the way she is. If you don’t know what she looks like, just look for a tiny gal, with dark pink hair, glasses and cute hats. She may appear to be twelve, but that’s only because she’s always been short for her age. Oh! She is could pass for Cody’s twin.

Cody won’t be there. Due to his broken arm, he had to miss too much work, but he sends you all his best wishes and love. He says he will be back next year.